The Academy Murders
by xPreferPencil
Summary: Amu is sent to the Academy because of her four powers, and it's all thanks to Ikuto. Amu and Rima think everything is fine. But with sudden murders right after they arrive, they're suspects. How will they clear their names? Will Ikuto and Nagihiko help?
1. Nutella & Magic

Chapter One;

There was the occasional screech of a crow from outside my open window. It wouldn't shut up. I slowly opened my eye, to see that the time was just past six. My bedroom was still pretty dark, and it was hard for me to adjust. I sat up slowly, and yawned. The first thing I did was turn on the light and walk over to my dresser. With a sleepy gaze, I looked into the mirror. I turned on my iron and headed downstairs to make some breakfast. There wasn't anybody up yet, so I had to make some toast. I ate it with Nutella, and gradually trudged back to my bedroom again, because there was still nobody to talk to.

My mirror reflected the messiest-looking girl I had ever seen before. My pink hair was shoulder-length, and had dried by itself while I slept, so it looked like a lion's mane. I had brown eyes, you could say, although Mom calls them, "honey-colored". Thankfully, my iron was ready, so I straightened out that mess and brushed through it. This took me about ten minutes. After I had curled my lashes, applied eyeliner and mascara, I realized I was doing it all in peace. The crow was finally silent. My bangs were doing exactly what I wanted them to do, so totally was overall going to be a good day. I got dressed in a white tank from Hollister and some light pink shorts. Yes, my hair is pink, but not naturally. I was born a light-blonde, the kind people have to bleach their hair for, and my parents decided to dye it a very pastel pink. As I grew older, I got used to it and came to love my hair shade. Now that I wasn't a natural blonde anymore (I had become a brunette), I took regular trips to the salon with my parent's agreement that this pink suited me better.

I was ready for school, and ready for the neighbors to peer into my window if they felt like it. So I drew open the drapes and saw that the time had just past seven. Sunlight streamed into my room, and I couldn't stop smiling. The door to my bedroom opened as Mom yelled into it, "Wake up! Oh...have you had breakfast?" she asked immediately, always worried about my health. I just nodded, "Yes, Mom."

She thought this over for a moment, but had more questions, "With a multivitamin?"

"Sorry, I forgot."

"Orange, apple, or grape juice with it?"

"Apple."

"Will you wait for me to make a new batch?"

"Sure."

"What flavor gummy?"

"Berry."

And, finally satisfied, she shut the door with a slam. I went back to the dresser, sprayed some perfume that smelled like cotton candy, and exited my room. In the main bathroom I brushed my teeth, and gave one last look at myself in the mirror. Another coat of lip gloss was needed. Okay, good enough. I raced down the stairs, where my Father sat reading a magazine with his morning coffee. My little sister, Ami, was sitting at the table already and happy to have a chocolate-chip pancake with strawberries. I sighed, cutting it in half with a knife, and taking one half away, to her distress. I complained, "Dad...didn't we agree that Ami doesn't need this much sugar in the morning? And at such a young age?"

He continued to avoid my gaze, "Fine...I'm sorry Ami." He patted her on the head and went back to his magazine as if nothing happened. I let out a sigh again, going down to Ami's eye level, who burst out into a tantrum. The full-blown ones; with tears and flailing limbs and everything.

"Why aren't you having this pancake, Ami?" I asked, hoping she would get the right answer. But, obviously, she did not, and I had to let her eat just one half, because I didn't have the time to go through with this. "Well, tomorrow will be whole grains and fruit." My breakfast wasn't really any better, but I kept that part to myself.

Mom walked over to me, a glass of iced apple juice in one hand and a multivitamin in the other. I chewed my gummy, and then drank my glass of juice. There was no more time to brush my teeth again, so I waved goodbye to everyone, grabbed my iPhone and headed out the door. The last glimpse of them before the door closed was Ami stuffing pancake in her mouth, Dad looking intrigued by a magazine article, and Mom finally settling down at the table to eat a pancake.

x

It was nearing the end of our Grade Nine school year, and my best friend Rima Mashiro was so excited she could die. Literally, her heart was racing at dangerously high speeds. And so much so that she said she felt like fainting. I gave her a gentle smile as she exclaimed, "Grade TEN! Amu, this is Grade Ten! We are going to be one step closer to having our own apartments and jobs, being able to shop for ourselves, and finally move out!"

I nodded, "Yeah, I am pretty excited!" My heart wasn't set on it though. I never wanted to leave my family. Poor Ami, stuck with my two demanding parents. One wants her to live very healthy, and one wants her to live with the arts. But in the end, all decisions for Ami would be made by her...and with the occasional influential hints from me.

The bell rang, and our first class was over. Rima and I gathered our bags and supplies and walked out the door. But I couldn't even take a few steps outside the classroom without smashing into someone. I lost my footing and slipped, falling backwards and dropping everything. Papers scattered all around the floor, and my binder was left open. "Oh my gosh! Watch where you're going!" Rima shouted at the tall boy who had walked right into me. He had unusual colored hair, like me. It was the color of the ocean, a flat, deep blue color. His features were very attractive; his jawline, his pointed nose, and his broad shoulders.

I stared into his eyes, as they drew me in. "It's fine..." It was strange, I felt myself drifting away. He was captivating. Almost, in a way, supernaturally.

But I snapped out of it as two hands clapped right in front of my eyes. Rima was hunched over on the ground, trying to gather everything by herself. "A little help here? This is _your _stuff after all."

"Sorry." Once everything had been stuffed back in my binder rings or in a bag, I got up to leave. I would organize later. Rima waved goodbye to the silent guy, and I mumbled, "Sorry to you, too." As Rima and I walked away, nearly at the corner of the hallway, he spoke. His voice was as smooth as silk, but very low.

"I came here to find you."

I turned around to see him standing up. I noticed quite the crowd had gathered around this little scene. My curiosity kept me standing there, staring right back at him. A moment of tension passed by, before I asked, "What do you mean? Why?"

He showed little emotion. His expression looked very determined. The boy replied, "Well, all I know is I'm not leaving without you." He snapped his fingers and the people around me faded like mist. They evaporated, as if they were never really real. It frightened me. The walls of the building disappeared, and so did the floors, even though I was still supported underneath me by something.

"What's going on?" I demanded, running towards the guy. My goals were to attack him and demand an answer. But with a flick of his wrist, I swear I saw a wave of blue flow towards me and disappear. Now I was instantly sleepy. As my eyelids began to droop, my anger subsided. The guy laughed, and I couldn't tell if it was an evil laugh, or if he thought sleeping people were funny.

x

I awoke in a meadow. There was a vast expanse of land all around me. I was sitting in damp, very bright green grass. It was like nature went to the spa, and came back as healthy and glowing as possible. The bright blue sky above me was spotted with the occasional fluffy cloud. I was still in my same clothes since before, but I was definitely confused. Was this a dream? Had I fallen and hit my head at school?

Suddenly, the same guy appeared in front of me, jumping out from behind, "Boo!"

I screamed, feeling very defenseless. I leaped up to my feet in seconds, "You stupid shit! How did you get me here? Wake me up!" Sometimes I forgot my manners in my dreams.

He opened his eyes a little wider, shocked by my change in attitude, "Hey, calm down. This isn't a dream. If it helps, my name is Ikuto Tsukiyomi." I rolled my eyes, putting my hands on my hips, "Trust me, it doesn't."

"Okay," this 'Ikuto' character began, "I'm going to explain to you this situation. Just don't interrupt and you'll learn everything you need to know. Okay?" Yet again, I gave him one of my signature eye rolls and stormed off farther down the hill. I planned on circling a particular patch of daisies, hoping it would help me absorb information.

"This is a different dimension." Right away, I choked. My jaw dropped in awe. This guy was crazy. He had probably just kidnapped me for the hell of it, and dragged me out to the countryside. Where nobody would ever find me again. "I saw some magic in you on my hunt. Every week or so, somebody from here is sent to the magic-deprived dimension to search for someone with abilities. And boy, is the Academy going to be pleased with me! You seem to have a special gift for not one, but _four _elements!"

I stopped my pacing, and gave him one of my coldest stares, "And what elements would those be?" It seemed like the emotionless guy I saw earlier was a lot more playful and teasing now. Hoping the kidnapper wouldn't kill me if I played along, I pretended like the supposed 'Academy' and 'different dimension' were all real things.

"Water, earth, fire, and air. You see, everyone here has different elements they specialize in, it all comes from birth. This means that you don't really need to practice at all to become a master at a certain element. But of course, anyone can learn the basic spells that you hear of in the movies. Like making your clothes change color, or having a rabbit appear out of thin-" that is when he was cut off by a loud scream, similar to mine only moments before. We dashed down the hill, up another one, and reached the peak. What I saw both reassured me, but frightened me. The kidnapper, Ikuto, had gotten to my best friend as well!

I raced down the hill towards her, "Rima! Are you alright?" Her long and blonde curls covered her shoulders and back, and I admired her sense of fashion. She wore a light purple crop top and white high-waisted shorts. Her nails were painted mint green. I shook my head. Now wasn't the time to see what she was wearing, we had to get out of here and away from this crazy psycho!

She shook her head, "Of course not! We just got magically teleported to another freakin' dimension!" Still the same old Rima, with her attitude and everything.

"Wait," I took long, deep breaths, "you don't actually believe him do you?" How could she? Things like this don't happen. Magic doesn't exist! The world is a normal place full of normal people, and normal...everything!

Rima stared at me, looking very condescending and rude, "No...because falling asleep at school on someone's command is perfectly normal. Not to mention healthy." And she made me flush, now I felt very stupid. Trying to gain back my confidence, I turned around to face Ikuto, if that was even his real name, and said, "What do you want?"

He stared, a little annoyed, "Isn't it obvious? Your participation."

"Oh," Rima and I shared glances, and the petite blonde spoke for us, "okay then."


	2. Pink Glitter Made My Uniform

Chapter Two;

In awe, I stared ahead of me at the two people. Rima Mashiro, my best friend since I was a child, and always the more beautiful than the two of us, had agreed to go to some 'Academy' with what could be a serial-killer kidnapper! His name is 'Ikuto Tsukiyomi', but you just can't trust people who are complete strangers with the ability to drug you and take you to the countryside. The man thought magic existed!

"Excuse me!" I yelled out at them, and they politely stopped to listen. "Hello? Does my opinion even matter here?" I could practically feel the anger radiating from me, and Rima twitched, giving me this look like _I _was the psychopath here!

Ikuto smirked, and something in my mind told me I would get used to that expression, "Not with that attitude...but I wish it did." He shrugged, turning back around and walking off once again. I began my chain of swears at him, not holding back. To stop me from causing such a scene, he came back to wear I was and said, "Calm it down, I was only joking."

I groaned, "Can't you just answer my questions without any jokes?"

"Fine, fine," he submitted to my request, "go on." And I caught a glance of Rima, who had gone silent this whole time. She looked from Ikuto to me, and then back to Ikuto, and I watched this sick smile appear on her face. She was as smug as ever. My best friend laughed a little bit, mumbling something like, "How cliché..." and once again I had to shake my head to focus.

I thought about what I wanted to say first, and asked, "Okay, where are we going?"

"The Academy." I found his immediate answers very irritating. Yes, I even had to give him that look, and wave my hand for him to continue. Just saying the 'Academy' wasn't really giving me any sense of anything. "Oh, sorry. The Academy is like the schools in the magic-free world all combined. The difference is the lessons. People here don't bother learning Mathematics or Language Arts in the Academy, which is one of the most popular schools here. Although, there are some lower class schools meant just for the common subjects. Usually it's people like you who go there to start off, get adjusted to there new lifestyle, before they dive into magic."

My thoughts on that were pretty big thoughts; so I kept them to myself. All he got was a blink from me, "Wow. Very informative; thank you. Next question, what gives you the right to just take people?"

He gave me a big grin, saying something along the lines of, "I'm glad you asked." He rummaged through his coat and pulled out a little piece of card. I couldn't be bothered to read it, so he told me what it meant, "I'm a licensed scout!"

I blinked once more, giving him a very cold stare and words dipped in thick sarcasm, "That's so cool, I wish I was a magic scout."

"Yeah, it's great! You get to spend three years studying hard for these exams and practicing new spells that are about as useful as cat food is for a fish." Well, touché. Fighting sarcasm with sarcasm. At least he knew some insults in this strange new world. Oh my gosh! I did not just believe him, did I?

I pretended to laugh, making it as fake as possible, "Yeah, that's hilarious. But seriously; prove it."

His tan skin and blue eyes looked at me with a sudden sense of authority, that it made me shiver. He shrugged, "Fine." As he thought of something to do, I took a few steps back, just in case he pulled out a knife and started to attack me for showing him that reality had no magic.

With a quick flick of his hand, I actually had a flicker of hope that something might happen. But it didn't. This was all because of those fairy tales that were read out to me before I went to bed as a child. Great. As you grow older, you still believe a little bit in that crap. I guess I always will. Ikuto was smirking like crazy, he even had a little jump to his step. I laughed indifferently, "What? Is there a coin behind my ear?" I scoffed.

But he wouldn't say anything. Almost as if he wanted me to find out for myself. Find out what? Was this magic real? I sighed, feeling my tail constantly twitch back and forth.

A moment passed by.

"I HAVE A TAIL!" I screamed, whipping my head around to see a white fluffy tail poking out from my pink shorts. And as embarrassing as it was, the even more embarrassing part was me running around screaming off the top of my head, and having my arms flailing around uncontrollably. I looked like Ami have a tantrum. Except when I did it, I was much taller and bigger and lanky. Just all together the most unattractive I have ever looked in front of anyone not a family member.

When I stopped to take a breath, I noticed Ikuto laughing so hard his sides hurt. Rima was on the ground, laughing so much she was in tears. When she tried to speak, all she could say was, "Holy...shit!" And even that was in-between breathes. I stormed up to the attractive but annoying Ikuto, and yelled, "Get rid of my tail!"

He took a few minutes to stop laughing, although there was still a slight smile on his face, "Only when you admit magic is real."

"Magic is not real!" I screeched, panicking all over again as the tail flickered back and forth on its own.

Ikuto smirked, and raised a blue eyebrow my way. I finally resigned, "Okay, okay, I believe you."

"Say it."

"No."

"Say it."

"I said I believe you!"

"Say...it."

"Magic is real!"

And with the snap of his fingers, I felt normal again. Just to be sure, I turned my head to see my spinal cord not coming out into a tail. Yay. Too bad I had to admit to his stupid rules. With a depressed attitude, we began our walk to the Academy all over again. Rima was grinning from both ears, and I spat, "What's so funny?"

She just giggled again, "Oh, just you."

x

We had made it to the Academy, and what he hyped it up to be wasn't a fake. The building was massive. Let's just say my old school, Seiyo High, could fit into it about ten or more times. Yes, massive. And I wasn't sure I would ever be able to roam around the whole thing in my lifetime, let alone memorize it. The outside walls were made of red brick, and I could tell there would be a courtyard. A giant courtyard. Even dormitories! That little bit got me excited. Sharing a dorm with Rima? Utterly cool! I wondered if I was starting to get used to this and the whole idea of magic.

I certainly believed him now.

Usually, I was the center of attention. Sometimes I didn't even want to be. But with my hair and my attitude, all eyes were on me. At least back in the other dimension. Over here, it was a whole different story. As soon as we took our first few steps through the double doors, my breath was taken away again. The ceiling was so high, I couldn't help but just look up. There was a circular staircase up ahead, that seemed to go up forever. Right against the staircase, one part of the tower, was made completely of glass. Some of it had mosaic designs; but the rest was just glass. So all of the light and warmth filtered through and lit the place up. To my left was a long corridor with plenty of doors, and to my right there was an identical corridor. Ikuto explained that both corridors lead to classrooms, and then eventually the outside courtyards.

"Are these all classrooms for a certain age group?" I asked, only partly listening, because I was mostly awestruck.

He laughed, taking it all in again, "Well, the corridors you see also keep turning and turning, almost identical to a maze. So, trust me, there are a lot of classrooms for Grades Nine, Ten, Eleven, and Twelve."

I just stood there, staring at the rainbow-like light filtering through the room, "No homerooms?"

"No homerooms, come with me." He didn't grab my hand like he wanted to, I could tell, he made a little hand twitch before deciding not to offer me it. I was glad, too. Ikuto might be date-material, but he wouldn't be anymore if he moved too fast. We start the long descent up the stairs, moving in a circle, up and up and up. Everything looked so wooden, or golden, and just so antique. The whole place was beautiful.

I asked about the dorms, and Ikuto explained that only people of the same grade shared a dorm. It was the usual; two people per room. There was apparently one building for each grade, starting from Grade Six to Grade Twelve. I looked out the window at one point and saw the seven buildings. They all had different colored doors. I figured it was class time, because hardly anyone was roaming the halls. A girl in a uniform, she looked about two years older than me, rushed past. My eyes widened, and I took a double-take. Her hair was rainbow, in a messy fishtail braid. She had gray eyes. Rima stared too, "Is that natural?" she asked Ikuto, her first question ever.

He shrugged, "It's possible. Not natural at some point in the family. People can cast spells on their hair for it to grow in a certain way, with a certain color. And then if they have a kid, it could be stuck naturally with hair like that. Genetics with magic; anything can happen."

As we trudged up the stairs even farther, Rima seemed to have an epiphany, "Wait a second!" And we all stopped on the stairs. I asked, "What's wrong?"

"Why did Ikuto bring _me _here?"

He smiled, knowing the answer since the start, "I forgot to tell you, you've got a specialty too."

She twisted one of her long, golden locks, staring out into space, "What's it like?"

"Mine." Ikuto said the word in such a defeated tone, that I worried for Rima. I, apparently, was going to become a magical genius. But by the sounds of Ikuto's deflated voice, Rima didn't have a lot of options. I wondered if that would cause a problem in our relationship. I didn't think it would. We were too close of friends. Rima's parents fought when she was just a child, and her father abused her sometimes. So she would come to my house, looking for a shoulder to cry on. Even if I was out, Mom or Dad would be there to make her a hot chocolate and give her a pat on the back.

We kept walking up for not much longer, and made it to the top floor. On the way up, there had been different levels, so I figured the tower was somehow connected to the rest of the building. This floor had two big double doors. They were green with golden engravings. Just the important-looking appearance made me nervous, and my hands started to shake.

Ikuto kept his cool, though, and knocked on the door, his voice fluid and his tone even, "Headmaster. It's me, Ikuto."

"Oh! Ikuto! Come on in."

We followed the tall, mysterious boy into the room, and I wondered what he had done to be in such good relations with the Headmaster of the Academy. Behind a giant desk, on a tall velvet chair, sat a man who appeared to be in his sixties. His hair was practically gone, there were a few white and gray wisps left. His robes were a purplish tint of gray, and they had the same symbol the girl I saw earlier had on her uniform. It was a few inter-looping circles and a tiny moon. The supposed Headmaster exclaimed, "What a pleasant surprise! Two new students." His eyes glazed over for only a moment, and I wondered what he was doing, but I found out relatively quick. Headmaster had an open mind. "Wow, Ikuto - every time, you give me great students. The blonde has an element I've never even heard of before, and the pink one has _four _elements! The last time we saw that kind of magic was decades ago."

It seemed like Ikuto could tell the man was about to ramble on about his history, so he interrupted, "Can we have two uniforms please? Grade Nine?"

"Hey, hold your horses Grandson - their school system is different over there. Look, you two girls, in this realm we have a different sort of understanding of the world. It's because, well, the world here is completely different! And for school at the Academy, I and the school board prefer that every new school year stars in January and ends in December. Every two months of school, you have one month of a break. So, I'm sorry to say this - but you're going to have a lot longer Grade Nine year than you expected."

Rima groaned, but I tried to keep polite, "Um, Headmaster, sir...pardon me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Amu Hinamori. And this is my close friend Rima Mashiro."

"Yes, well," he smiled, and I thought I might really like it here, "pardon me as well! This is my Grandson, Ikuto Tsukiyomi, and I am the Headmaster of the Academy, Robert. Everyone calls me Headmaster."

The blonde beside me suddenly stared off to the corner, and I followed her gaze. I never even noticed the secretary in the corner. She had ruby lips and hair so blonde it was almost white. There was some definite damage to her hair, almost as if she didn't care for magic enough to use spells on her hair. A little strange, but I would definitely respect my elders if they were like that. You know, into the "good ol' magic-free days". The name on the desk said, "Lucy Flanagan." She was typing madly on a computer, wearing what looked like a blouse from Aritzia. I wondered if this job paid good money, or if there was a spell to make magic or expensive clothes.

She spun around to face me in her office chair, smiling to reveal naturally white teeth. "The uniforms will be here any second, and here are your schedules. If you want to be in different classes, or the same dorm room, or any types of problems at all - call the number on your time tables." And after her piece had been said, she focused on the computer screen once more.

Sure enough, a glittery pink cloud magically appeared out of thin air, and as it evaporated, there were two uniforms on the Headmaster's desk. They were folded as neatly as could be, with a gray pleated skirt and blazer. There was a white blouse. And the most noticeable piece, a pastel pink and yellow plaid tie. On the very top of the folded bundle of clothes were black knee-high socks, with matching yellow and pink stripes near the top. The shoes were black.

Realizing my mouth was open in awe, I quickly closed it. I grabbed my uniform by its box, bowed to thank the Headmaster, and headed out the door with my time table. On it was my dorm number, which ended up being different than Rima's number. We both pouted, but decided not to be babies and got over it. This was just another reason to meet new people. Here was my time table:

**Monday**

8:00 - 9:00 : Cafeteria Open for Breakfast

9:00 - 10:15 : Earth Class (Block One)

10:15 - 11:30 : Water Class (Block Two)

11:30 - 11:45 : Lunch (can be eaten during next class as well)

11:45 - 1:00 : Fire Class (Block Three)

1:00 - 2:15 : Air Class (Block Four)

2:15 - 3:30 : Minor Spells Class (of your choice)

3:30 - 5:00 : Social Studies

5:00 - 6:00 : Cafeteria Open for Dinner

6:00 - 8:00 : Free Time

Curfew at 8:00

**Tuesday****  
**

8:00 - 9:00 : Cafeteria Open for Breakfast

9:00 - 10:15 : Earth Class (Block One)

10:15 - 11:30 : Water Class (Block Two)

11:30 - 11:45 : Lunch (can be eaten during next class as well)

11:45 - 1:00 : Fire Class (Block Three)

1:00 - 2:15 : Air Class (Block Four)

2:15 - 3:30 : Minor Spells Class (of your choice)

3:30 - 5:00 : Sciences

5:00 - 6:00 : Cafeteria Open for Dinner

6:00 - 8:00 : Free Time

Curfew at 8:00

**Wednesday  
**

8:00 - 9:00 : Cafeteria Open for Breakfast

9:00 - 10:15 : Earth Class (Block One)

10:15 - 11:30 : Water Class (Block Two)

11:30 - 11:45 : Lunch (can be eaten during next class as well)

11:45 - 1:00 : Fire Class (Block Three)

1:00 - 2:15 : Air Class (Block Four)

2:15 - 3:30 : Minor Spells Class (of your choice)

3:30 - 5:00 : Mathematics

5:00 - 6:00 : Cafeteria Open for Dinner

6:00 - 8:00 : Free Time

Curfew at 8:00**  
**

**Thursday  
**

8:00 - 9:00 : Cafeteria Open for Breakfast

9:00 - 10:15 : Earth Class (Block One)

10:15 - 11:30 : Water Class (Block Two)

11:30 - 11:45 : Lunch (can be eaten during next class as well)

11:45 - 1:00 : Fire Class (Block Three)

1:00 - 2:15 : Air Class (Block Four)

2:15 - 3:30 : Minor Spells Class (of your choice)

3:30 - 5:00 : Languages

5:00 - 6:00 : Cafeteria Open for Dinner

6:00 - 8:00 : Free Time

Curfew at 8:00**  
**

**Friday  
**

8:00 - 9:00 : Cafeteria Open for Breakfast

9:00 - 10:15 : Earth Class (Block One)

10:15 - 11:30 : Water Class (Block Two)

11:30 - 11:45 : Lunch (can be eaten during next class as well)

11:45 - 1:00 : Fire Class (Block Three)

1:00 - 2:15 : Air Class (Block Four)

2:15 - 3:30 : Minor Spells Class (of your choice)

3:30 - 5:00 : Athletics

5:00 - 6:00 : Cafeteria Open for Dinner

6:00 - 8:00 : Free Time

Curfew at 8:00**  
**

Oh my gosh, I had real hard-working school up until five o'clock. I flipped the time table over to look at my map and find out where all the other classes are. Rima and I were in deep thought of our own papers as we made our way down the stairs, through a door and to the dormitories. Thank God the dormitories were same sex; I just had no idea what the people were like here, and I was trying not to take any chances.

The Grade Nine dorms had a pastel orange coloring to the inside of it. Like the decorations, the doors, the dorm keys...

Rima and I took the elevator up, and sadly, she was on a different floor too. We said our goodbyes. I thought about texting her, and then a realization hit me! My phone! I scrounged through my pocket to take out my iPhone with its TNA case still intact. I turned it on, and just deflated instantly. _No service_. But I did use it to check the time, because apparently, both dimensions had the same time. It was 2:37, and with a quick check of my time table, I would've been in minor spells. I wondered how I was going to choose my classes this late in the year?

The elevator stopped and I made it to room 285. I rummaged through my box, and below the uniform was a dorm key. I used it to open the door and then I quickly closed it and locked it behind me, for safety measures. There was a big window that took up a lot of space on the wall, and I kinda liked it. The room was a decent size, with a bathroom and kitchen. I wondered if magic factored into this; so many students and so little room. But yet each dorm had its own kitchen and bathroom...strange.

I unpacked my suitcase, sad that all of my clothes were gone and my phone didn't work. Maybe I could conjure clothes and make-up with the flick of my wrist or the snap of my fingers? Once my uniform had been pulled out, I stared with wide eyes at what remained in the box. Was I dreaming? I picked it up and twist it around in my hand, making sure it was 3D and real.

Nope, not dreaming. I had a wand.


	3. Manly Rima

Chapter Three;

Everything had seemed fine for the next couple days. Before Rima and I started our normal time table, we had a few lessons from Ikuto on how to cast a spell. Some spells required a wand to be dipped in a potion, a chant or word, or even just the snap of your fingers. At first it was super embarrassing to take a step forward and lash out with a wooden stick, but then I got used to it and found it exhilarating to cast a spell. Rima struggled a bit more though. We were trying to conjure up water to fill up a glass. Ikuto explained that with the power of water, you can do a lot. But you need to specialize in it to be able to cast a water spell with more ease. If you don't; you have to dip your wand in the bucket of water by the door. As soon as it dries up, no more water spells for you.

"Wait a minute," I said, flicking my damp wand and watching water droplets splash out of the glass just for fun. "I thought I had a thing for water (and also earth, wind, and fire), so why do I need to have my wand...wet?"

Ikuto was standing by the doorway, observing us with his hands in his pockets. He looked really attractive in the right lighting. I shook my head to pay attention, "Slow it down. Today is only Thursday, just wait until tomorrow night and then you'll see." I nodded my understanding and looked over at Rima. She was definitely having a hard time. No matter how hard she thrust her wand, she just wouldn't get much more than a few drops at a time. Her glass was nearly a quarter full. She put her wand down on the table and gave her arm a rest. She yawned, "Can we try something else now?"

"Sure, how about a minor lesson on colors or something next," he checked the watch on his wrist. "Or not...well, actually, let me call my friend Nagihiko. He'll help you guys." Ikuto dug into his pocket, and my suspicions were confirmed as he took out a real live phone that...you know, worked! It was a BlackBerry, and he just seemed like the business type from the start. He dialed a number, put the phone to his ear, and left the room to talk more privately.

Rima looked at me, a little smirk on her face, "How old do you think he is?"

I stared at her with some confusion, but replied, "Two years older, I guess. Do you like him?" And my eyebrows still raised, expecting a serious answer from her, Rima just started laughing.

"Why would I? You obviously like him," she said with that smug smile still there, made to tease and make fun of me. As soon as the words left her mouth, I blushed beet red and I could feel my ears grow hot as well. This only increased her smile to a big grin.

"N-no I do n-not!" I yelled back at her, starting to panic a little. Come down! Come down! Come down! I tried to tell myself, in the hopes that my blush would disappear by the time he came back in. Moving very close to her, I whispered harshly, "What if he can hear you from out there?"

She shrugged, as blunt as ever, "Than he can hear me from out there."

Giving up, I slumped down into one of the creaky wooden chairs at the long table. This room was apparently one of the many minor spells classrooms. Most of them weren't even used all the time. Rima was just about to pull a nearby chair when Ikuto stuck his head through the door, and said with a fairly expressionless face, "Look; I gotta go. But Nagihiko will be here any minute. He's skipping his 3:30 class for you guys!" And with that he was gone.

x

By the time Nagihiko arrived, it was almost four in the afternoon. He had very long, silky purple hair, and it was definitely not the most masculine haircut I'd ever seen. Even lesbians had shorter hair than him. By a lot. His hair practically reached his knees. But he was masculine himself; with a tall stature, nice jaw and broad shoulders. With one quick glance to her way, I knew Rima was in love with this guy. His personality seemed pretty bubbly, too. With a gentle smile, he said, "Hey, I'm Nagihiko Fujisaki! What are your names?"

"Amu." "Rima."

"Amu is a beautiful name, it reminds me of pink roses, but that's probably because of your hair!" he was a keeper, I mentally noted in my mind. He had a hearty laugh, and I pretended to laugh to go along with it. Then he turned to Rima, his hair swaying. "Rima, that name reminds me of...my childhood." His smile was gone, and was replaced with a nostalgic look where his eyes even glazed over a bit.

That is when I noticed Rima almost looked the same! She mumbled, "It's best we get to the lesson..."

And he broke into a cheery smile again, "Yes, okay let's talk about appearance! I'm going to give you some quick tips on how to prank someone, or how to defend yourself from a prank!" Well, that seems reasonable. The two of us grabbed our wands. Nagihiko held his in a tight grip in his hand, and I noticed he had brought a cauldron in the other. It was full with a slimy, thick liquid. "Dip your wands in this."

So we both took our turns dipping our wands in. As I retracted my hand, the thick substance slowly dripped back into its cauldron. I made a noise of disgust. Nagihiko directed us, "Before you create a bond with your wands, and are able to talk to them in a language only you and your wand can understand, you must cast spells carefully. Don't go experimenting with your clothes, you could end up with none left."

Rima batted her lashes, "Oh, Nagi, what does _this _spell do?" When he wasn't looking, she sent me a cheeky smile that I returned with a stifled laugh.

"A lot, try it out for yourselves." he said, holding up a small vial filled with a similar-looking liquid. It looked clearer than the big cauldron of goop. "This is the counter-spell; well, not really a spell, it's more of a cure. You drink it to go back to your...how should I put this..._original state_." His eyebrows were close to the ceiling and he had a look of mischief. Nagihiko's eyes avoided our curious gazes.

I was suspicious. But I decided to try it out on Rima before it happened to me. And I think we thought of this at nearly the same time; luckily I had the fastest reflex. I dodged to the side as Rima thrust her wand out the same time as me. What looked like a white lightning bolt erupted from both of our wands. Thank God her magic didn't hit its target. But mine did.

As soon as her wand and jaw dropped, I could tell she was in some strange, contorted type of pain. Immediately, I was guilty. Her appearance wasn't looking much different though. "Nagihiko, how complex was that spell?"

"It affects clothes and body."

"Oh. I don't really know what that means."

Rima dropped to her knees and contorted. Her arms were growing at an astonishing rate. Her legs were growing as well. It seemed like every part of her was growing except for her hair. It was turning...blue. There was a sinking feeling in my stomach. Our Academy uniforms were a purplish gray; but Rima's had slowly morphed into a uniform with pants and a jacket. Her face had become very manly. Yes, trust your gut on these things. Try to never get hit by white lightning. That's all I know.

My best friend was now Ikuto. And still incredibly attractive as he always was.

The words came out of her mouth slowly and cautiously, and boy was her voice deeper than usual, "Am I...Ikuto...Tsukiyomi?" She ran a hand through her messy blue hair, and her usual pale skin had become very tan. Nagihiko crouched beside her, patting her reassuringly on the back, "Yes. Yes you are." Rima was about to scream, but quickly regained her composure after she clamped her hand over her mouth.

"Phew," she said, laughing in a husky voice, "I almost pulled an Amu."

I glared. The resemblance between the two was very strong. Nagihiko offered Rima the vial, and she gulped it down. Her body shrank and her hair flowed out like a curtain of gorgeous hair. She smiled and spoke in her cute little voice, "That's better." We shook hands with Nagihiko, who told us we could call him Nagi from now on, and we thanked him for the lesson. Nagi set down the cauldron near the table and brought us to the dining room in case we had forgotten our way back from the abandoned classroom.

x

After waiting for everyone to arrive and for the cafeteria to open, which seemed like forever, Rima and I stuffed our faces with turkey and mashed potatoes and vegetables. I had a glass of water with dinner, while Rima decided to go with milk. I'd never been this spoiled with my dinner options before. There was everything from Chinese food...to plain old pizza.

A long blonde, like Rima, sat opposite to me at the table. She looked quizzically at my uniform, and asked politely with no food in her mouth, "Hey, why are your uniforms gray?"

"What do you mean?"

She laughed a little bit, "Oh, you're new. Well, we all change our uniforms to the color of our grades. It's the thing to do. You know, blue for sixth grade, green for seventh grade, yellow for eighth, orange for ninth, red for tenth, pink for eleventh, and purple for twelve. And it's the same from Preschool up to grade five."

I went a little sheepish, my cheeks a shade of pink, "Sorry, but um, what's the spell for orange?"

"Ooh, Ninth Graders! It's no problem. All you have to do is press your wand tip to any part of your uniform, and ask for it to turn your shade," she said with a gentle smile on her face. Then, when she was done talking, she went all emotionless again. She reminded me of someone like that. Who had a playful side, but was mostly solemn.

As she said, after wand tip to uniform and a polite request, our uniforms became orange. Delighted, I cheered a little bit and thanked the girl, "By the way, what's your name? I'm Amu Hinamori."

"Utau Tsukiyomi, and you are?" I knew it! I freakin' knew it!

"Rima, Rima Mashiro," my best friend said with a smile, shaking Utau's hand like I did. Obviously Rima didn't want Utau to know her true comedic nature just yet.

As I shoved another forkful of food in my mouth, and joined in conversation with a nice redhead, the doors to the giant cafeteria burst open. Everyone swallowed and stared, ready to scream or talk or anything that was a reaction. There was a young girl, she looked like she was in either Grade Five or Six, with black hair in two braids down her shoulders. I couldn't really make out the fine features of her face, she was farther away. Her uniform was a blue color, so remembering Utau's words, she was in sixth grade.

She yelled out in utter panic, "Murder! Murder on campus!"


	4. Murder & Tomato Soup

Chapter Four;

I was sitting in my dorm room, lying on my bed and staring at the ceiling. There was so much to think about lately. My roommate was a girl with long brown hair. I don't really know much about her, other than that she dresses like every day is summer. I think her eyes are green, I'm not sure. She is fairly quiet, but will share complaints about having too much school work and will participate in breakfast chit chat. All in all; I found her presence in the room very awkward.

The other big thing on my mind was the murder. It happened yesterday; a grade six girl was found in her room dead. The rumors told me her name was Nicky Reynolds. All the names and cultures here was all mixed together in a giant pot. That giant pot was our school. The girl was a sweetheart (says the rumors), and was also a little bit of teacher's pet. Particularly with Ms. Kabuki, who taught the more advanced Earth classes. The girl's roommate walked in to see her sprawled in a strange position with most of her limbs broken, and no pool of blood. Out of respect, the Headmaster tries to keep her death secret, but the rumors fly around, and people are saying it was a magic-caused death. What death wouldn't be?

Just stabbing someone was sloppy. Not to mention cruel.

It had been almost twenty-four hours since Nicky's death. Now that I think about it, why was she in her dorm room? Maybe she was dropping off her school stuff before she went to the cafeteria. Still, something told me that wasn't normal behavior. How could someone have gotten in her room without the key? I would have to ask Ikuto how a student could get away with murder. Who had any motives? I'd never met the girl, so I didn't know any of her enemies.

It was Friday, and I checked the digital clock for the time. Yep, it was time to head down for dinner. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I remembered Ikuto saying something yesterday, about how my bond with my elements would increase tonight. My nerves were sure racing. I inspected my hair, and decided to clip my bangs back.

Once I got down to the cafeteria, because I was starting to get the basic routes down without help from others, I noticed something. Dirty looks. And they were towards me, of all people! I tried to ignore them, and the hushed whispers as I walked past, but it wasn't something you can just forget. It was in the moment. People were angry with me for some reason. I tried to think it through. What have I done? Showed up. So that's not it. Then, what do they think I've done?

_Murder._

The world flashed across my mind in just a moment, but a moment was all I needed to nearly collapse onto my knees. How could they think that? I would never commit murder! As all these assumptions arose, I couldn't push them back away. Well, maybe they didn't think I was the one who did the killing for sure, it just looked like that way. But I couldn't stand it, all these glances.

"I never even knew the girl!" I yelled out, looking around me at all the shocked faces. My eyes blazed with anger, and a few people I shared a quick glance with were glaring right back. There was some strong people in here. But now I was just fed up with this welcoming. "I was sent here against my will! I miss my family! My mother, father, and little Ami..." As I began to read out my family, my voice was a whisper. Nobody could hear that part. I rose my voice a little once more, "All I wanted here, was some friends that could be like a whole new family. I guess not."

Now the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. I missed Rima. The whole day I hadn't seen her, or Ikuto. Not even Nagihiko. Because I had locked myself in the dorm room and thought about the murder and practiced magic all by myself. After the end of my willy-nilly spell casting day in my room, I had made an apple appear with a certain phrase, and a photo frame with two cats on it. Yeah; useless.

I sat down at the table after getting a bowl of tomato soup and some crackers. Utau wasn't here, or Rima. Today was just a lonely day. I felt evil glares burn the back of my head. There was nothing I could do to please them. Geez, I just wish I could create a tidal wave that would sweep them all out the door. Oh, right, _I'm not connected enough_ yet. I slurped one more spoonful of soup and shot out of my chair. I was supposed to meet Ikuto and Rima in the courtyard!

My mad dash resulted in me arriving on time. But Rima shook her head in disapproval, as a joke. Although her jokes are so thickly-dipped in sarcasm it's hard to tell if they're jokes or not, sometimes. Ikuto looked bored, "Okay, you ready yet?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked right back, folding my arms across my chest and leaning on one hip.

He shrugged. Ikuto pulled out his wand, and it was the first time I'd seen it yet. I noticed it was made out a dark wood, and it was entwined with strips of glowing blue. Almost like pieces of the moon was put into his wand. Wow. "Wand, please grant this girl, Amu Hinamori, with the ability to be in greater touch with her powers," and I swear I heard him whisper, "and this time in uniform." What does that mean?"

Ikuto struck his wand out at the direction of the ground and swirls of blue light struck the ground and the earth began to shake. I turned around, having a feeling that people knew this was happening, and sure enough, at the windows there were tons of eyes on me. I stuck my tongue out for a quick second. It's not like they could tell from there anyway. When I looked back at the scene, there was a black cloud of smoke that looked so out of place in the beautiful, pristine courtyard, that I longed for it to evaporate. I heard multiple people coughing from inside the cloud. To be specific, it sounded like _men_.

My heart began to beat like crazy. And then I saw the four of them, taller than me, by a lot. Oh, and yes, they were guys. I noticed that Ikuto was not looking pleased.

The one on the left had long bangs, his hair was the color of fire. He had eyes that look like a shade of hot pink. The guy next to him had bright blue eyes, and he looked intrigued by the situation. He was the type to observe, I could tell. Or it was like something in me already knew that. His hair was a few shades light than Ikuto's, and it was fairly short and messy. The third boy had extremely messy hair, and his hair was big. It was curly, too. Don't forget to mention it is a very dark green, almost black. His smile was very big, and his teeth were perfect and white. And last, but definitely not least, was the fourth boy. Although he seemed a lot more mature than the others. By stature _and _appearance. His eyes were the color of amber, and his hair was orange. I noticed his lips looked very kissable. I vigorously shook my head, I should not get attracted by this...guys! If that's what they even were!

I noticed the gray uniforms. I remembered the girl with the rainbow braid. She was probably one of these...element people as well! They didn't really have a grade, so they were just in the gray uniforms!

"Hey," the fire one said, "my name is Ran." I nodded and said hello after each of them introduced themselves. The blue one mumbled with interest, "My name is Miki..."

Trying to look nice and appealing, I smiled brightly and said, "Hello, I'm Amu Hinamori!"

The third one, the most feminine of them all, bowed a little and said with an even bigger smile than mine, "Nice to meet you. I'm Suu." Well, that's certainly a girly name for a 'boy'. When I looked at the fourth one expectantly, he didn't say his name. I had to walk up and offer my hand for him to shake it and say, "Dia."

Ikuto stepped forward, rolling his eyes, "Great. Now that you're all acquainted, it's Rima's turn." He said his piece and the black cloud appeared and disappeared. The guy in her cloud was pretty handsome as well as all four of mine. He was a strawberry blonde with bright blue eyes. He looked very human. Rima bowed to him, "And what is your specialty?"

"I'll help you embrace the comedic side of your life," he said with a big grin. Rima smiled, almost as if it was contagious, and nodded her approval. Ikuto then walked up to us and handed us each a phone. I was so giddy! It was a white iPhone, and one of the new ones. Ikuto mumbled something like, "My number is on there, text me if you need anything, first month is on me, but you need to get a job if you want to keep using it."

He also explained later, through text, that these "people" were referred to many different names. Like calling them Shugo Charas, Formers, or even just Magic People. There have been cases, apparently, where people have fallen in love with their Charas. I certainly won't end up in a mess like that. Your Charas are apparently allowed to get their own jobs so they can have a phone, and are supposed to sleep in the dorm with you. Otherwise, you have to pay an additional fee to let them sleep in the dorms for formers. I didn't have any money yet, so I just let them sleep in my room. I wasn't sure how my room mate would react.

Before I could walk into the dorm buildings, though, Ikuto stopped me, "One last thing; when you assign one or more of them to your wand, you'll know because they'll turn into little floating people. Almost like fairies." I was about to ask if fairies exist when he just turned and left. Well, whatever. I went in the building with them, and we had a quiet ride up the elevator and into the room.

My room mate was sprawled out on her bed, her arms like a zig zag, and she was dead.


	5. The Cat Could Be Ikuto

Chapter Five;

Okay, so my Saturday didn't go as planned. Right when I was getting a little bit closer to my room mate, she gets killed. That night, I had made sure not to touch anything inside the apartment and I ran up the stairs and just told the Headmaster. Of course, he was much more understanding than anyone else who found out. Everybody seemed to want me dead as well, as if I was the killer. And now I couldn't really blame them, it looked like it was me. I had stayed in my room most of the day, too, probably waiting for her to show up so I could kill her.

But on the other hand, I was an ordinary girl who couldn't cast such spells. I had no motive. All that changed because of her death, in the room, was that my Chara people got an extra bed. Ran fought to the death for that bed, and he got it. The others didn't really seem like fighters. Only Dia had this spark of anger in him. It was like he was a statue that came to life at night; because he really didn't show any emotion unless someone tipped him off the edge.

My Saturday included Ikuto surprising me and coming to my door. That part was nice. I had gotten my old TNA case and slipped it onto my new iPhone. The magic here had made phones even better. There was an app that would let me teleport! And the best app I'd found so far was the one that helped you with spells. First, it would scan your abilities, and then choose the spells appropriate for you. And it gave me some cool pranks to try out some time!

"Hey," he said with a monotone.

I smiled weakly, attempting to break his outer shell, "Have you ever tried smiling?"

"When I was a kid," he said, stepping forward to close the door behind me, "but now I know the dirtier things in life. So I just instinctively smirk now." And he was right, as the topic appeared, his smug look stared at me intimidatingly. It showed up when he was in any kind of teasing or joking mood, too.

After that app, I had found out some spells for clothes. Today, I decided on a loose blue crop top, white shorts, and some wedges. Ikuto took in my appearance and raised his eyebrow, "Showing some skin?" And I felt my cheeks turn as pink as my hair, so I rushed ahead of him so he wouldn't see.

I scoffed, "What's it to you?"

"I don't know," he looked genuinely sweet, "it's just that this whole week I wanted to see what clothes you wear on your spare time." He sheepishly ran a hand through his hair, and my face went beet red. So I whipped my head back around and walked even faster. I heard his laughter from behind me, "Gotcha."

Stupid Ikuto! I got out my phone and texted Rima, "Hey, whats up?"

And as I took in slow, deep breathes, trying to calm my nerves, she replied. There was just the typical ringtone. When I read the screen, my heart tensed up and I had a flashback of the dead girl in my room. Her brown hair splayed across the rug. She did have green eyes; I saw them wide open and motionless. "Just trying to stop getting accused."

Instead of getting all emotional through text, I just said, "Meet me and Ikuto at the dorm lobby." And during our awkward elevator ride, I had a quick glance at Ikuto. His ivory skin glowed against his plain white t-shirt. As soon as he looked my way, I thought about pretending like I wasn't looking, but I just stared at him.

"What?"

I glared a little, making it look authentic, "You're a prick."

He shrugged, "Well, I'm sorry you think that." And he slumped against the wall and put his hands in his pockets. He looked away. His eyes had lost their mischievous shine. But I couldn't be sure that it wasn't another joke to make me flustered. With a ding, the doors opened.

I screeched, taken aback. I thought I left them all behind in the room!

Yep, they all followed me, Ran, Dia, Miki, and Suu. Without restraint, I yelled at them, "Where did you guys come from?" And Miki replied, of course, from a logical point of view, "The stairs." Right, that made more sense.

As I tried to regain composure, I mumbled, "Sorry for yelling, you just frightened me, that's all." And I made my game plan for the day, hoping Ikuto was listening to this from behind me, "We're going to go out shopping with Rima. She's going through a rough time."

Ran looked at me, confused, "Aren't you?"

Suu hit him on the shoulder, "Of course she is."

"Thanks for understanding," I replied, not sure what to say or how to interact with Charas that were extremely nice eye candy. So I took my eyes off them, walked past and sat down on a couch. Ikuto slowly made his way out of the elevator, glaring at the four boys and sitting down opposite me. Was he jealous? Was he upset I called him a prick? Or both?

All I knew was that I felt guilty, "Ikuto, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"Then why stare at me?" he looked back, sullen. And as his eyes widened, I knew I was screwed. His eyes were calm again, and his mouth was tightened in a cruel smile. I cried out in desperation_,_ "Oh, give me a break!"

Ikuto playfully poked me in the leg, "So, you were checking me out?"

"N-no!" I retaliated, hopping off the couch and spotting Rima. She was a savior! I stormed over to her, my cheeks bright red. Looping her elbow with mine, I tugged her to the double doors, "Let's go!" I heard the guy behind me chuckle, and it was infuriating!

x

So, Ikuto explained he was taking me out shopping. He would be showing us what jobs we could get, and where to shop for what we needed. The city we were in was the capital of continent. Yes, it had no name. But the continent did; Number Seven or just Zara. Ikuto wasn't so pumped up with ego anymore, which I was glad about, "I'll take you clothes shopping. We've made the city a more magic-free tourist approach, with all the brands you love from back there. Although with the right spells, anyone can easily create clothes...and money."

"You can _make money_?" Rima asked, her eyes widened. And not in the good way. She was looking money-crazy, and a little excited.

Ikuto rolled his eyes, "Look, don't get your hopes up. That's illegal." She still didn't look convinced not to try it out, though. Her eyes screamed i-will-even-do-illegal-activities. "Seriously! If you try it, there is this...stench that comes from the spell. It's what the law here does to make it noticeable that there's a thief."

My best friend still wasn't convinced, but that note of information had definitely knocked her down a lot of notches, "Well, can't the real smart ones get around the stench? You know; using spells to hypnotize people into giving them money, or freezing time to rob a bank?"

The man I have a feeling I might be in love with nodded, looking proud of her, "Your damn right they do. Which is why the law exists. But some are so elusive they get away with it." I can't believe I just admitted I was in love with Ikuto. I watched the two walk away side-by-side, in deep conversation about spells.

"And can't you change your appearance?" Rima asked, a little quizzical, but the glint in her eye told me she knew that was correct.

Ikuto nodded, and I interrupted, "Look! It's Aritzia!" Although that was true, it really didn't need to be shouted out. I was just desperate. He both looked at me funny, or so I thought. When I dragged Ikuto into the store by the elbow, my phone buzzed. I looked at the text from Rima, "I knew you liked him!"

I texted back, "Well, you like Nagihiko." And when I turned around, it was her turn to be as bright red as a tomato. In Aritzia, we saw Utau, who hugged her brother as soon as my arm wasn't linked to his, like a clingy little puppy. We looked around, and Ikuto bought me a white crop top and black spandex shorts. He even got me my own pair of TOMS. I'd almost forgotten that Ran, Miki, Suu, and Dia were there until they caused a scene. Ran was yelling at Dia in harsh whispers, while Dia just had his arms folded and a smirk on his face.

"I do not," Ran spat back, a cruel look on his face.

Dia chuckled, "Okay, whatever you say."

And before someone could throw the first punch, one of the employees escorted the two out. I felt so embarrassed. She walked up to me, asking politely, "Are they yours?" And pointing with a thumb behind her back. I just nodded meekly, and decided to leave as well. No point in staying around there after that scene. Ikuto, Utau, and Rima left with me. They were good people.

Well, some of them.

"Look, Ikuto, I appreciate it, but I'd rather go back to the Academy and practice some magic," I tried to act nice, and show off how well I was raised. "God knows I need to." I added as a side note of humor.

He looked a little sad, "Okay. But Rima needs to go with you."

"Why?" the blonde asked, tilting her head a little bit. Ikuto mumbled a reply of something like, "You need some practice as well." And with a huff, Rima turned and left, dragging me with her. I could only weakly wave goodbye. As soon as the two siblings were out of ear shot, Rima showed me the screen of her phone. On it was her contacts, which included Nagihiko Fujisaki! I noticed the four guys shuffling awkwardly behind us, following like lost little puppy dogs.

"Aw, he gave you his number?" I asked teasingly, nudging her in the waist with my elbow. She nodded, flustered and adorable. We exited the little shopping area and walked up the stone path decorated with flowers until we were back at the Academy. To my right were the fields I was first brought here on. The memory was a strange one. I didn't know how I felt.

"Look, my point is," Rima went on, and I zoned back into the conversation, "we've been texting a lot lately, and he offered to give us a lesson. As in right now." And it ended up being in the fresh air out in the courtyard. We learned how to defend ourselves with a magic shield. He said they were pretty weak, but any type would deflect a prank spell. Rima and Nagihiko had gotten pretty intimate, and I decided to leave the two alone. Later that day, on a Saturday night, as I lay there in my room with my Charas, I had a thought. The thought to text Ikuto. But when I was about to, I got all rosy cheeked and shoved it back under my pillows.

Ran stared at me from the opposite bed, looking bored, "Where was that Chara that Rima got today? I didn't see him." I just shrugged, not even bothering to learn the name of him. He hopped off the bed with a grin as an idea hit him, "Hey! Let's experiment with some magic!" Everyone else agreed and I just said, "Okay, why not?" My app gave me some crazy spells, but I decided to go with the ones for my elements. Using Miki, he became so small and tiny, like a little doll that could fly, and I used his powers to make an ice cube. It was so cool! I found an empty glass from the kitchen, and without using the tap, I filled it up with water (if you get what I mean). After Miki complained about being tiny for too long, I swapped him out for Suu.

I made a sunflower grow out of the glass of water. Strange, but very cool! I put it on the windowsill. Suu didn't seem to mind being tiny, with a stubby arms and legs. But I returned him to normal for Ran. As he lost all of his height in seconds, I felt very in control. He was pouting, saying things like, "Just turn me back eventually." And with him, I set fire to the sunflower. With one quick whip of the wand. And another whip put out the fire again. Last but not least, I tried out Dia's powers.

He shrunk right before my eyes, and I wasn't sure what to do with the power of air at first. All I could think about was making a strong wind, but I didn't want to do that in the room. "Wait a second, can I make things levitate?" And he nodded. I jumped for joy. "Yay!" He said the lighter the things, the easier to cast the spell. So I pointed at the sunflower, and slowly flicked my wand up. It shot out of the glass, and water dropped all over the floor. So, you can use two Chara's powers at once, so I used Ran too, and my the flower explode in flames. There was a little pile of ash on the floor.

I stopped using Ran and Dia. To use or not to use; you just think of it with a strong will in your mind. Quite simple.

After eating some noodles, brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed, I tucked myself in. Before I turned the light out, I looked at all of them. Ran had the bed. The rest were on the floor. I flicked my hand, directing him with words, "Ran, get off the bed and share the floor." And grudgingly, he got up and sat down. Dia got up and jumped onto the bed, making a loud thump. He hummed for the words, "My turn."

I was about to turn off the lamp light, when there was a meow outside my door. I got up and opened the door, very suspiciously. A black cat bolted in, hopping onto my bed and curling itself at the foot of my bed. Without a doubt, that was a human.


End file.
